Hebi-hime and Hebi-ouji
by Elusive Nightingale
Summary: Finding everything that she cares about being threatened by destruction or alienation, Hancock will be put in a deadly situation. Love is not a walk in the park, especially for someone who has hated men her entire life. Who's pulling the strings? Only the best of the femme-fatales is. I've got the key to your heart and I'm a great actress. You do the math. MOVED FROM OLD ACCOUNT.
1. Chapter 1

Boa Hancock, Pirate Empress and Ruler of Amazon Lily!" Baskerville declared. "You are sentenced to Impel Down for non-compliance with The World Government even with your status as a Shichibukai!"

The Pirate Empress cringed at this ruling. They would, without a doubt, revoke her Shichibukai title for manipulating them so many times. They couldn't overlook her activities anymore, therefore, here she was in Enies Lobby. Unable to do anything, she clenched her fists as the Seastone cuffs stung her skin.

"Any last words, Boa Hancock? Before you begin your walk on The Bridge of Hesitation?" Baskerville asked. Her dark hair obscured her eyes from view as she replied, "You call pirates evil and barbaric, but who do those traits truly belong to? After you finish interrogating me at Marine HQ, I will be sent to Impel Down and I'll be treated like an animal for the rest of my life. So, just know that another human-being will suffer at your hands."

"Enough! Take her away!" The Marine soldiers began escorting her towards The Bridge of Hesitation. A smile appeared on her perfect face, much to the surprise of the soldiers. Normally, anyone who crossed this bridge feared the life-long punishment that awaited them. Hancock, however, despite her horrifying past, appeared confident and unafraid. Then, she unleashed her Haki to knock out the Marines and she walked back to the room where the judge of Enies Lobby was located. Even though she couldn't use her Mero Mero no mi, she still had her Haki. Now all she had to do was get the key for her hand cuffs. She calmly sauntered over to a quivering Baskerville.

She glared at him before saying, "Where is the key to these unbearable hand cuffs? Answer me now, or the wrath of the strongest Kuja warrior will descend upon you!"

"Know your place, pirate! I can call the Marines for assistance and the CP9 will be here shortly." he said smugly.

"It seems you men do not possess brains either. Those CP9 fools took me lightly and that was their downfall."

Baskerville reached for his Den Den Mushi to alert Marine HQ, but Hancock crushed his arm with a Haki-infused stomp. He cried out in pain but was immediately consoled by her soft, slender hand caressing his face. Her normally blue eyes devoid of emotion became a lighter shade of blue that gave off warmth and kindness. Hancock was the master of manipulation and this man fell into her trap;much like every other man in the world. With a slight pout of her lips, she cooed, "Just give me the key, okay?"

She moved closer to him and peered at him under her long lashes. Baskerville felt his heart-beat increase dramatically and beads of sweat decorated his three heads. Besides being the ruler of Amazon Lily, this empress boasted beauty unmatched throughout the world. All of that, and here he was, in a room alone with her. The things that went through his mind definitely weren't PG. "Of course, Hancock-sama!" he exclaimed as he dug his hands into his pockets hurriedly. He placed the key into her cuffs and they fell off.

Smiling triumphantly, she said, "It would seem that you've made a grave mistake. You've betrayed your precious government by helping me. I can't blame you though, it was that or death. Or so you believed." That last comment snapped Baskerville out of his fantasies. There was no way The Pirate Empress would let him live.

"Your guilty soul has fallen for me, and it will freeze you in place!" Hancock declared as her hands formed into heart. "Mero Mero Mellow!" Once the pink heart ray hit him, he was turned into stone. Without mercy, she kicked him, which shattered his body. She smirked at the crushed remains of his stone body and had to hold back a laugh. Men were such beasts and easily gave into temptation. The vile creature deserved to die.

"Salome! Come! It is time to return to Amazon Lily. I've left the government a wonderful present." Her snake slithered next to her and easily matched her pace. Hancock had defeated Enies Lobby's main offensive force by herself. Namely, the CP9. As she approached her ship, she was greeted with the cheers of her crew.

"Hebi-hime-sama! We knew you would come back to us safely!" One of them yelled.

"It's time to go back to Amazon Lily. I'm a bit worn out, so I will go to my quarters. Marigold and Sandersonia are in charge while I rest." Boa Hancock said while turning away from her comrades and entering the large door that led to her room. As she walked down the hall, she remembered something Gloriosa told her before she went to Enies Lobby.

"Hebi-hime! Your tomfoolery will bring about the end of our proud kingdom! Why on earth would you turn yourself into the government, when they were hunting you down anyway!" The former empress exclaimed.

"Even so, you will all forgive me...why? It is because I'm beautiful!" Hancock retorted while looking down on her. Gloriosa sighed at this repetitive answer to everything. With that kind of thinking, Amazon Lily wouldn't last much longer. She had to teach Hancock a lesson, a lesson she would never forget.

"Fine. Do what you want. However, when you return, I'd like you to see the local fortune teller. Alone."

"Don't decide things on your own, Gloriosa! Your reign ended already. I wonder how many times I'll have to remind you!" The empress yelled as she grabbed the old woman and threw her out of her window. The strength of her throw shattered the glass and probably hurt Gloriosa... a lot.

Hancock finally reached her room and sank into her bed. Her pleasant face contorted into a face of disgust and irritation as she thought about what the former empress told her to do. Who did that woman think she was? Ordering around The Empress of Amazon Lily? If she could do such a thing so often and avoid punishment, then her title of empress meant nothing! To comfort the emotionally disturbed Hancock, Salome slithered next to her and rested his head near her. Smiling, she began to stroke his tuft of blue fur. Soon, she drifted into sleep, but this was interrupted by one of her crew members.

"Hebi-hime-sama! Hebi-hime-sama! We've landed on Amazon Lily!" the obnoxious girl shouted. Hancock opened her eyes abruptly and glared at the younger girl. She had never seen this one before, but then again, she never took note of any of their faces or names. They were all the same: easily falling for her and complying to her demands without fail. Even though they were women as well, they were mindless around her. Pathetic. The girl trembled under Hancock's powerful gaze until The Empress spoke.

"Who sent you here to tell me this?" Hancock asked with the ice in her voice obvious.

"N-no one...I took it upon myself to l-let you k-know." the girl answered.

"Name." Hancock demanded as she narrowed her eyes at the pirate.

"What?"

"Your name, you imbecile! What is it?"

"Airi, Hebi-hime-sama." Airi kept her eyes glued to the floor;she was too scared to look Hancock in the eye. She was beautiful, but on the inside she was rotten. There was no telling what she would do to her. The other pirates told her that no one was allowed in The Empress' room, however, she couldn't resist a chance to see her stunning beauty. Airi was the newest member after all.

Hancock sighed, "Just get out of my sight before I turn you into stone."

"Will do, Hebi-hime-sama!"

"Go! Before I change my mind!" And with that, Airi hurried out of the room and Hancock followed suit soon after. As she left the ship, she was greeted with the same amount of cheers for her. Which was getting old. Sure, the first couple of times they fawned over her was nice, but it was getting ridiculous.

"Hebi-hime-sama! I baked you a cake!"

"Hebi-hime-sama! I made a painting of you!"

"Hebi-hime-sama! Would you like me to brush your hair!"

The offers and requests were yelled at her from all directions as she was trying to make her way to the palace. Then she snapped.

"All of you just shut up, already!" She made sure that her icy cold stare met with everyone in the town square. Everyone fell silent. In rage, she grabbed the cake the little girl baked and threw it in her face. "No, I don't want your damn cake! You're what, five? What kind of kid knows how to cook?"

She snatched the painting from the middle-aged woman and ripped it into tiny pieces. "Why don't you try doing something useful, instead of wasting time on drawing? Otherwise, you might as well die."

She grabbed the brush from a civilian and broke it in half with her Kuja strength. That brush was the last thing the girl had from her late mother, but Hancock couldn't care less. "As the captain of The Kuja Pirates and Empress of Amazon Lily, do you honestly think that I have time for such girly and frivolous things? No, of course not, I'm a pirate!"

Hancock then walked towards her palace and her sisters followed her in urgency. She left the civilians standing there in shock, however, she knew they would forgive her because of her beauty. "Sister, I just learned from the civilians that Gloriosa is missing!" Marigold said.

"What do I care? Think of it as her punishment for defying me so many times. She deserves it."

"But we don't know where she is! She could be dead or she could be held hostage!" Sandersonia countered.

"By who? I don't think anyone in this queendom would commit such treason! Besides, Gloriosa herself anyway."

"Unless that person isn't actually from here and is in a disguise!" Marigold offered.

"You're too funny! What kind of person could get past all those Sea Kings in the ocean? What, you think someone from a different world kidnapped Gloriosa? And for what reason? She's a useless old hag that doesn't know when to be quiet." Hancock laughed as she sat on a curled up Salome.

"Sister, are you forgetting that the same woman you scorn so much brought us back to Amazon Lily after our...time in MarieJois? We owe her greatly." Sandersonia said in an attempt to quell Hancock's laughter.

"I suppose." Hancock replied. She stood up and strode over to the door. She placed her hand gingerly on the doorknob as she remembered that Gloriosa told her to see the fortune-teller. Why? What was waiting for her there? "I'm going to the local fortune-teller."

Without letting her sisters respond, she left the room and headed out of the palace. It was a particularly windy day and Hancock's long, luscious hair flew gracefully in the air. Pairing that with her dark eyes and her all-around beauty, she looked prettier than anyone as usual. She tried to ignore all the cheers and screams that were meant for her as she made her way through the crowd. Did these fools not remember how she berated them in the town square? Of course they did, but it was Hancock's beauty that was her saving grace. Sighing as she finally reached her destination, Hancock pushed the soft linen covering above her head and walked inside the tent. The woman inside had eyes that seemed to see through everyone and everything. Even as she made eye-contact with her Empress, her eyes truly saw right through Hancock and that made her uncomfortable.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Hebi-hime-sama. What brings you here?"

"Nothing special. Just tell my fortune please." Hancock answered.

"Of course, Hebi-hime-sama." the woman said as her hands began to hover above the crystal ball and an image started to appear. The image showed Hancock with a man, but it wasn't that clear. However, she could tell that they were happy together due to them giving each other soft kisses and whispering sweet nothings. She also saw Salome with her and that man had a snake with him. None of these things alarmed her until she noticed that she was wearing a ring on her ring finger. Hancock bit her lower lip anxiously as she thought, That man is going to be my husband? I'm going to get married?! Hah! Such insolence! I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens! Me, fall in love? What a riot.

Hancock stood up abruptly to leave, but the woman grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. "Don't you want to know more about this man? Or your husband I should say."

The Pirate Empress' eyes flashed with anger at the word husband. "I will never marry. I've heard nothing but bad things about it. I will not be a submissive tool to a man ever again! They are lower-class beings and don't deserve to be in my presence!"

"What do you mean you won't be a submissive tool, again? Did something happen to you before?" Realizing that she almost let her secret slip, Hancock kicked the crystal ball on the ground which made it shatter. Which was a successful distraction for the fortune teller to forget about what Hancock said.

The shattered remains of the crystal ball began to emit a strange energy and it hypnotized Hancock. Sensing that his owner was in trouble, Salome slithered over to the tent where Hancock was and he, too got hypnotized. Suddenly, both Hancock and Salome found themselves outside of a town, a town named Magnolia.

"Where am I?" she said to herself as she gazed around. She was wary of this town because she had never seen it before, until she saw Gloriosa walking towards her. "Gloriosa!"

"Until you can melt the ice around your heart and become the kind girl you used to be, we will not return to Amazon Lily. And with your absence, the government will most likely take advantage of this situation and attack the island. If you absolutely refuse to fall in love, then the island will meet it's end due to your selfishness. Your choice, Hancock."


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you plan to accomplish by this, Gloriosa?" Hancock asked sarcastically. "Putting Amazon Lily in danger hurts you as much as it hurts me."

"I want someone to melt the ice around your heart and soothe your wounds of the past. You have to realize that not all men are the same. However, you have made everyone in Amazon Lily believe that all men are evil. Falling in love with someone might help you." The former empress replied.

"Ha! Such insolence! You expect me to just fall in love?! Love is an emotion that I do not intend on feeling for a man." Hancock said as she walked into Magnolia and left Gloriosa behind. People in the streets began to stare at her and Salome, but she ignored it. For a while, she stopped walking with such a purpose when she realized that she had nowhere to go and that she had no idea where she was. Seeing a river in the town, she ran towards it and sat on the edge of the street to let her feet dangle above the water.

"Salome, what should we do?" Hancock whispered to her snake as she brought her knees to her chest. Salome simply hissed in reply and wrapped himself around her in an effort to comfort her.

"We had such a fun time at the guild, didn't we Plue?" Lucy asked happily as she walked along the edge of the street. Hancock turned her head to face the source of this voice and stared at the girl. Maybe this one could be of use to her.

"You there." Hancock demanded as she stood up. "I need somewhere to stay the night. Provide me with the proper accommodations, will you?"

"Hold on. You're demanding things of me and you don't even know my name. I don't know who you are, but you are dressed kind of strangely. Are you from a different town or something? I'm Lucy."

"Fine, I will give you the honor of knowing my name. My name is Boa Hancock. Pirate Empress, Ruler of Amazon Lily, and Captain of The Kuja Pirates." Hancock said with arrogance clear in her voice. "Now, enough of your insolence. Lead me to your home." Then they both began the walk to Lucy's house and continued their conversation.

"Pirates? Pirates?!" Lucy said as her eyes widened in surprise. "But pirates aren't real. They're just from fairy tales."

Hancock rolled her eyes at the girl's ignorance and replied, "My life is far from a fairy tale. How foolish of you to not know that pirates exist. By the way, what Blue are we in?"

"Blue?" Lucy repeated in confusion.

"Yes, Blue. Are we in East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, or South Blue?"

"I don't know what you're talking about but we're in Fiore right now and this city is called Magnolia. You said you were from a place called Amazon Lily and I can't say that I've ever heard of it."

After that, they both walked together in silence. As they made their way to Lucy's house, Lucy looked at Hancock out of the corner of her eye. She was obviously very beautiful and her looks were more exotic than anything she had ever seen. She was clearly a very wealthy woman, since the fabric of her clothes looked extremely expensive and the gold earrings she wore must be worth a fortune. Hancock's eyes looked as though they held a dark past and Lucy made a note to ask her about herself later. Her eyes left Hancock and rested upon the woman's companion. It appeared to be a snake, but she had never seen one of it's size. Let alone it's tuft of blue fur.

"Here we are! Home sweet home!" Lucy said with enthusiasm once they reached their destination. Once inside, Hancock sat on Lucy's bed and crossed her arms. Salome curled up next to the empress and hissed in delight. "Would you like something to drink? Or something to eat?"

Hancock said nothing and continued to stare out the window. The sky appeared orange and pink, since the sun was setting. Strangely enough, she found herself worrying about Elder Nyon. She had mercilessly harmed Gloriosa before, but she actually felt guilty about abandoning the elderly woman. Maybe Sandersonia and Marigold were right;she should treat their mother-figure with more respect. Hancock caught herself in the act before she started feeling bad. She would respect that old crone once she respected Hancock's title and power.

"Um...Hancock? Do you want something to drink?" Lucy asked again while holding a glass of water intended for Hancock in her hand.

"It's Hebi-hime-sama, to you." she replied before taking the drink from Lucy's hand.

"So, do you have any friends from where you come from?" Lucy inquired in order to break the ice.

"Friends." Hancock repeated. "I don't...have any. Besides Salome." she said while gesturing towards her snake. "All I have are my two sisters and an entire kingdom that drools over me. But my sisters and I are close."

"You don't have any friends? Well, that's okay. 'Cause we're friends now, right?" Lucy said while grasping Hancock's hand in reassurance. "And I'm sure you'll make even more friends at Fairy Tail!"

"Fairy Tail? What's that?" Hancock said whilst under the impression that no men were there.

"It's a surprise! I'll take you there in the morning, Hanco-, I mean Hebi-hime-sama!" Lucy exclaimed.

Noticing her awkwardness, Hancock said, "You may call me Hancock, Lucy."

"Sure!" the blonde said before giggling a little. Hancock also laughed a little, but quickly put her hand over her mouth. She hadn't laughed in earnest in a long time. Yet this girl managed to make her laugh, even smile a little bit. Not even her sisters could achieve such a feat. Hancock stared at Lucy in bewilderment as she began to lay a blanket over the couch.

"Good night, Hancock!" Lucy said as she lay down on the couch to sleep.

"Good night."

"Why hasn't Boa Hancock responded to our summons?!" Sengoku yelled in frustration. "The woman caused great damage to Enies Lobby and wounded the CP9 greatly. I've already revoked her Shichibukai status, so in response she goes into hiding?! Ridiculous."

"Fleet-Admiral Sengoku! I think that we should put an end to the Kuja pirates since their captain isn't present." a Marine captain suggested. "Without Hancock's fearsome strength, they won't be a problem."

"That is an excellent idea! I'll send a Navy fleet lead by Kizaru in order to wipe them out. We'll teach Hancock a lesson."

In the morning, Hancock and Lucy began their walk to Fairy Tail. On their way there, Lucy noticed how men and women alike were staring at Hancock. The Pirate Empress seemed to be used to the attention she always got, but she still looked a bit perturbed. Maybe she was getting sick of it.

Once they we were in front of Fairy Tail, Hancock asked, "So it's like a hang-out spot for people?"

"Sort of. You'll see once we get inside."

All of the laughter and talking ceased once Hancock and Lucy entered the guild. "Um.. Lu-chan?" Levy asked. "Who's your friend?"

Without giving Lucy a chance to answer, Hancock said, "My name is Boa Hancock. Empress of Amazon Lily, Snake Princess, and Captain of The Kuja Pirates. As such, you will all refer to me as Hebi-hime-sama. Now, kneel before me or be turned into stone!" The last demand was augmented by her signature "Looking Down Pose."

"Kneel to you?! I won't ever...do..." Natsu said as even his obliviousness couldn't protect him from Hancock's seductive stare.

"Natsu! What are you doing?!" Happy screamed as Natsu's face slowly began to match his hair.

"All of you shall bow to The Empress of Amazon Lily, or face the strength of the Kuja!" Hancock declared once again.

"The strength of The Kuja, huh?" Gajeel said. "Let's see what you've got, then!"

He charged for her and attempted to strike first, but she had a little something up her sleeve. Bending back while flipping her hair, she said, "Your guilty soul has fallen for me and it'll freeze you in place! Mero Mero Mellow!" To everyone's surprise, Gajeel had indeed turned into stone.

"Hey, what's this all about?" Gray asked. "That wasn't a fair fight."

"I'm allowed to do anything and the world will continue to forgive to me...why, you ask? It's because I'm beautiful!"

Before the entire guild went crazy on Hancock, Lucy intervened. "Excuse us for a moment." Then she took Hancock's hand and led her away from the whole group. Looking her straight in the eye, Lucy said, "That's not how you make friends."

Raising her slender eyebrow in confusion, Hancock replied, "Making friends? I was commanding respect."

"They would all respect you if you were a little kinder and not so full of yourself." Lucy said while still holding Hancock's hand. She hated being lectured by anyone, especially someone younger than her. Irritated, Hancock pulled her hand out of Lucy's grasp roughly and narrowed her eyes at her. Lucy simply smiled back and continued, "Try apologizing and you should probably turn Gajeel back to normal."

Hancock said nothing to her and walked over to where the majority of the guild was. Clearing her throat and placing her hand on her hip, she arrogantly said, "I'm not going to apologize for my actions because you all will forgive me anyway. However, I will right my wrongs as it is only obvious that I should. Do not think that this makes us friends, because it doesn't."

"So you will turn our comrade back to normal?" Erza asked Hancock.

Turning to the red-head, Hancock nodded. "But I will take my leave afterwards."

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed. "I thought you were going to join Fairy Tail..."

"No, I can't. I have my reasons."

"Tell me why!"

"I'll tell you. Much later. If we meet up again."

Once in front of Gajeel's stone body, Hancock said, "Mezameyo..." Which turned him back to his original state. Preceding his awakening, Hancock left the guild much to Lucy's dismay. On the outside of the guild, Hancock sighed in relief. She hated everyone's aura in that place. Especially the men. As she began to walk away from Magnolia, she felt a pang of discomfort in her heart. Clutching her chest, she leaned against a tree on the outside of Magnolia. Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead as breathing got more and more difficult. As a result of forcing herself to keep walking, she fell onto the ground. Salome noticed her pain and started to carry her on his back as he slithered on, hoping to find Gloriosa.

Seeing the former empress in the distance, Salome moved faster to reach her. He knew that she could do something to help his ailing friend. Gloriosa soon took notice of her Empress looking absolutely helpless on her snake and rushed to help.

"Hebi-hime! What's wrong?"

"My heart...it hurts." Hancock whispered in pain as a tear escaped the corner of her eye. Immediately, Gloriosa knew what was wrong. Either she had met her love already or their meeting was coming soon. Still, she couldn't bring herself to tell Hancock why she was feeling this way;the girl would hate her even more for causing such pain to befall her.

"Just rest, Hebi-hime." Gloriosa managed to say as she placed a loving hand on her forehead.


	3. Chapter 3

Sandersonia was distraught. First Elder Nyon went missing and now her older sister was gone. To make matters worse, with the empress gone, the Government could attack them whenever they wanted. Older Sister was their powerhouse and without her...

"Sandersonia, are you thinking about what might happen to the empire? If so, do not worry. I will fight for this place until I take my last breath and I'm sure older sister would feel the same way." Marigold said to comfort her sister. "Besides, I'm sure Older Sister is already trying to find a way back home."

"Marigold," the green haired sister said. "Where was the last place you saw Hancock?"

"Well, she was right here in the palace with us and then she suddenly left to go see the fortune teller. Wait a minute...maybe the fortune teller knows something!"

"It's worth a try. Let's go!" Sandersonia replied.

The two Gorgon sisters made their way to the fortune-teller's tent as fast as they could, even though many civilians were prodding them with questions like, 'Where is Hebi-hime-sama?' 'Was she murdered?' 'Why is the empress gone?' 'What about Elder Nyon?'

Once they made it past the swarm of civilians, Sandersonia walked over to the tent and pushed the excessive linen above her head. Not seeing anyone in the tent, her tongue hissed dangerously and her green hair moved as though it had a mind of it's own. Her eyes darted around the room until they saw a figure in the back crying. She was a young girl and Sandersonia recognized her as the newest member of their crew, Airi.

"Airi?" Marigold asked softly as she approached the girl. Airi looked up at them with pure sadness and regret in her eyes. She knew that what she had done was punishable by death, but she didn't care anymore. She thought that she deserved death for betraying the Empress. "Please tell me what happened."

"I...replaced the crystal ball with another one that has the power to teleport to different worlds. I meant for The Empress and I to go together since I thought she needed a vacation, you know? All that hard work as Empress, I believed it was for the best. So, I asked Kava, the fortune-teller to help me and look what happened. I'm a disgrace to the Kuja."

"You had good intentions so I'll forg-" Marigold began to say.

"No! Thanks to you, our sister is gone! Now who knows what will happen to the empire!"

Sandesonia's outburst caused even more tears to leave the girl's eyes and she promptly covered her face with her hands.

"Where is Kava, anyway?" Marigold asked.

"She's at her house. Before she left, she told me that she saw something in her crystal ball that was very unnerving." Airi answered.

"Is there anyway for someone else to get teleported to that other world?" Marigold asked.

"Yes, but the crystal ball can only take one more person." Looking up at them, she continued. "Marigold-sama, Sandersonia-sama, you both need to stay here to protect the Empire, so who is going to the other world?"

"You, of course." Sandersonia said with annoyance. "Try to atone for your sins this way."

Lucy had been worried about Hancock ever since they met. She seemed to have a wall around her that protected her from everyone as if she had something to hide. To Lucy, Hancock also seemed like her arrogant exterior was a cover for the vulnerable girl on the inside. Lucy was so caught up in her thoughts that she missed most of Makarov's explanation of their plan to defeat Oracion Seis.

"Lucy? Is something on your mind?" Erza asked with worry clouding her deep brown eyes.

"Oh it's nothing! I was just worried about Hancock."

"I wouldn't worry if I were you. She seemed like a capable woman."

"Lucy!" Natsu screamed as his face went red. "I told you not to mention her! I always feel weird when I think about her!"

"He llliiikkkess her..." Happy said to rile up Natsu even further.

"So, we're supposed to be heading to the rendezvous point to meet up with Lamia Scale, Cait Shelter, and Blue Pegasus. Let's get a move on." Erza said while trying to stay on topic.

"I have to agree with Natsu, though. She was pretty enough, but that snake of hers was creepy as hell." Gray added.

"NO! GRAY-SAMA IS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE! JUVIA HAS FOUND ANOTHER RIVAL?!" Juvia screamed as enormous amounts of water began to pour out of her eyes.

"I think we should go now." Lucy said.

"Agreed." Erza replied.

"Hebi-hime-sama! You shouldn't be walking around like that! You haven't healed enough!" Gloriosa said to a nonchalant Hancock.

"A mere illness cannot defeat me! Why, you ask? It's because I'm beautiful...!" Hancock declared. "Besides, you're not at liberty to speak to me in such a way. Or did you forget that this mess is your fault? Now, please leave me to my thoughts. I need to think about how to get out of this land called Fiore."

"Hebi-hime-sama, the only person that can take us back to Amazon Lily is Kava, since it is her crystal ball. However, I told her not to release us until you change your outlook on the world."

Hancock's eyes flashed with pure rage at this news. "What? She should take orders from me, the current Empress! Not some washed up old woman! Haa... such insolence! I can't take it anymore!"

As Hancock collapsed to the ground in mock anguish, Gloriosa rushed over to her to make sure she was okay. "Hebi-hime-sama! Please calm down."

"Salome!" Hancock commanded as her snake wrapped itself around Gloriosa with amazing speed. The snake constricted her movement, so Hancock could speak to her properly. "Now, you will contact Kava and tell her to get us out of this hell-hole!"

"Hmm, as I thought, your beauty is only skin deep. Your actions are only making your stay here even longer. So, please continue tormenting me." Gloriosa said calmly.

"Tch! How dare you?!" Hancock exclaimed as she slapped the elderly woman across her face. Leaning in to whisper to her, Hancock said, "You better be careful Gloriosa. This little plan of yours could work in my favor instead. You don't want me becoming even more bitter, do you?"

Gloriosa knew that Hancock could be a manipulative woman when she wanted to, but even so, this time she had no idea what her Empress was scheming. All she could do was guess that Hancock was indeed playing with fire. This whole escapade could get dangerous, fatal even.

"Hancock, please be careful. Messing with this worlds villains could mean certain destruction for Amazon Lily, not to mention the Marines."

"You dare address me by my name?! You insolent woman!" Hancock said with anger as she struck the elderly woman again. "You have angered me beyond my boiling point, Gloriosa!"

"Hebi-hime-sama, I didn't mean for this..."

"Salome!" Hancock commanded her snake as it unwrapped itself from Gloriosa and slithered next to her. "I'll be leaving now, Gloriosa. This is a pretty dense forest and we're pretty far away from Magnolia. Good luck by yourself."

Hancock then proceeded to walk away from Gloriosa and deeper into the forest. However, not even Hancock knew where she would head next. Even if she would never be able to return home, at least this place was free of the World Government. Sensing someone with her Conqueror's Haki, she and Salome hid behind a large tree. The man who came into view was none other than the one she saw in the crystal ball. Anger and fury soon boiled her blood as she continued to think about this man. No way was she ever going to let a man control her ever again. She would have to stamp him out here.

"I can hear you." the man suddenly said. He couldn't be referring to her, so Hancock just kept quiet. "Trying to kill me for controlling you? Sorry, but I don't even know who you are."

Hancock's eyes widened as she began to realize that he was talking to her. She slowly came from behind the tree to confront this man. She stuck out her hip and placed her hand on one hip while the other hand pointed at him. She tilted her head back to 'look down' on him, then she declared, "I am allowed to do whatever I wish to do! The world will never cease to forgive my actions! Why, you ask? Yes... it's because I'm beautiful!"

This girl was ridiculous, he didn't even know how to respond to that. Then, without wasting time, Hancock jumped through the air to attack him with her powerful Haki-imbued kicks. To her surprise, he dodged them all with ease. As one kick flew past him and shattered a boulder, he concluded that if one her kicks landed a hit, he was done for. A smirk appeared on his face as he began to make his counter-attack. He attempted to attack her with his melee skills, however, she dodged all of his attacks easily with her Haki. The skirmish appeared to have come to a stalemate until they both yelled out the names of their snake companions to aid them in battle.

"Salome!"

"Cubellios!"

The two snakes clashed with each other, with Cubellios being the stronger one of the two because of it's superior size. To even things out, Salome adapted it's size to match Cubellios'. Hancock continued her conflict with her target, with neither of them landing a single blow. After another clash, Hancock jumped back to assess the situation. As she glared at her opponent, she thought, How can he dodge all of my attacks? I'll just turn him into stone, then. No man can resist my charms!

Unfortunately, for Hancock, he could still hear her thoughts. "Turn me into stone, huh? How will you manage that if you can't even touch me?"

"I won't need to. You'll be enraptured by me, all the same..." Hancock's words trailed off as she didn't know his name.

"Cobra." He said.

Suddenly, she fell to the ground in fabricated suffering. "Haaaa...! Battling is so scary...! I'm so scared..!" She said the last word in a seductive and 'come hither' manner to lure him into her trap. Her eyes became light blue instead of her usual dark eyes and she bit her lower lip while twisting a few strands of hair with one finger.

Cobra knew that it was a trap, but he couldn't deny the fact that she was beautiful. He almost wanted to give in to her charms, however, Cubellios brought him back to his senses by hissing at him. Ignoring his desire, he attacked her and sent her flying past a tree with particularly sharp branches that tore the back of her dress and exposed her slave mark. Upon hitting the ground, Hancock was furious. No man should be able to resist her beauty. This man, Cobra, shouldn't be allowed to exist! She stood up with her back to him, not noticing that her deepest secret was being revealed.

Walking towards her with his hands in his pockets, he stared at her back. "That mark..."

Hancock's eyes widened with fear as she quickly turned around. She wrapped her arms around herself to comfort herself and Salome slithered around her as well. "You saw it?" Hancock whispered. Her eyes were quickly filling up with tears, no matter how many times she blinked to keep them from coming. The memories of MarieJois were too strong. She placed a hand over her face to hide her tears, even though he could easily see them traveling down her cheeks. Since he didn't reply, Hancock spoke instead, "Well, you've seen it. I'm less than a human. A former slave. Go ahead, scorn me, like all the rest!"

"I won't."

Hancock lifted her head in shock. He was a man. A savage creature, yet he wasn't going to harm her or her pride? No, that couldn't be right. He was after something.

"You won't? Yeah, right. What do you want from me? I dare you to even come close to me! I'll rip you apart and feed you to beasts! And I'll...I'll..." Hancock stopped talking after she saw that in his eyes, she wasn't a tool. He didn't even attempt to come any closer, like most greedy and disgusting men would.

"I don't care that you're a former slave. I really don't. I don't think anyone else should either." Cobra said as he turned his back to her and began to walk away. A blush started to form on her face once those words left his mouth. He actually accepted her for who she was. She got up and wiped her tears off of her face and smiled for the first time in a while. She stood on Salome to catch up to Cobra and once in front of him, he raised an eyebrow. She got off Salome and stood in front of him while staring at the ground. She had never felt so nervous to speak to a man in her life. All she wanted to do was thank him, why was that so difficult?

"What do you want? Still trying to kill me?" Cobra said to get her to speak up.

"N-no! I wanted to..." Hancock stuttered. Salome, being the troublemaker, pushed Hancock onto Cobra with his tail. Cobra caught her easily and gave her companion snake a weird look. Her face turned a bright red as it was pressed against his chest. Hancock thought, I've heard of this! Is this...ma-rr-ia-ge?

"What?" Cobra asked with a confused look on his face. "Marriage? All I did was save you from falling. Now, if you'll please leave me alone, I have a mission to do." He pushed her off of him and kept walking with Cubellios by his side.

"Cobra."

"Hm?" he replied as he continued walking.

"Thank you..." Hancock whispered while still blushing furiously. Cobra simply answered that with a nod of his head.

"Hebi-hime-sama!" an old woman's voice called out.

"Hancock!" a young girl's voice called out.

The thought of one of her subjects addressing her as 'Hancock' was enough to make her emotions change. Big time. Soon, she saw Gloriosa and Airi come into view.

"Hancock! I've finally found you! Now, we can go home and everyone has been waiting for you! And..." Airi ceased her talking when she realized her error. She swallowed a knot in her throat as she waited for Hancock to speak.

"You...you dare call me by my name?! It is 'Hebi-hime-sama' to you!" Hancock said angrily.

"Hebi-hime-sama, please calm down. Now, we must be getting back to Amazon Lily!" Gloriosa demanded.

Grabbing Elder Nyon by her shirt collar, Hancock hissed, "Are you giving me orders? You must have forgotten again, old woman. I am the Empress of Amazon Lily and The Captain of The Kuja Pirates. Your reign ended long ago!" Then she threw Gloriosa at a tree. And that probably hurt her a lot.

"Hebi-hime-sama, um, who's that guy with the snake?" Airi asked while glaring at him. After all, everyone on Amazon Lily was taught to loathe and despise men.

"That's Cobra-kun!" Hancock answered with a dreamy look on her face. "He's also my children's father!"

Now it was Cobra's turn to react with shock. Walking towards them, he said, "What are you talking about? We don't have any kids."

"When we get married, of course, we'll have children!" Hancock swooned. "By the way, my name is-"

"Hancock. I know."

"How the hell did you know that?" Airi asked while glaring at him.

"I have good hearing." Cobra said evenly whilst matching her glare.

"You said you had a mission to do, right? So let me help you." Hancock offered.

"You sure? You'd have to join Oracion Seis first and I don't think we're accepting new members."

"I'll do whatever it takes! Our bond cannot be broken by anyone!"

"Fine. Come with me." Cobra said as he grasped her hand. Hancock's eyes widened with shock as she felt his skin come in contact with hers. Even if it was just their hands. She could feel her heart beating against her chest and her blush returned to her face as well.

"Haaaaa...!" Hancock exclaimed as they began walking hand-in-hand. However, someone just had to ruin this moment for her.

"Wait a minute!" Airi said as she jumped in front of Hancock and Cobra. "Hebi-hime-sama, do you really trust this man? Don't you remember? Men are always-"

"Airi!" Hancock declared. "Let me tell you something...Love is always a hurricane!"

"Wait! Airi is right, Hebi-hime-sama! Who knows what this Oracion Seis is? It could be dangerous." Gloriosa said.

"I do not care what it is! As long as Cobra and I are together, I shall be safe!" Hancock said.

"Tch." Cobra said as he continued walking with her towards his destination. He wasn't going to deny that she was beautiful, but her sudden obsession over him was more than awkward. How was he going to explain this to The Brain? And Hancock wasn't letting his hand go anytime soon.

"Hebi-hime-sama, if you're going with this man, I must go with you. And I have to tell you something that Airi brought to my attention." Gloriosa said. "About Amazon Lily."

Hearing 'Amazon Lily', Hancock stopped walking and glanced over her shoulder to look at Gloriosa. "Continue." she deadpanned.

"The Marines have attacked Amazon Lily and since your Shichibukai position was revoked, everyone on the island was considered a pirate. Even the civilians."

"It's a lie." Hancock said quietly.

"It's not a lie! When I left, the attack had already begun! Sandersonia and Marigold were severely injured by The Three Admirals, but they fought bravely to protect me. It might be destroyed by now..." Airi interjected.

"Well," Hancock sighed. "Then we'll just have to rebuild everything when we get back. No need to be so dramatic. Those Navy dogs are pathetic, they chose to attack the island in my absence." Then she resumed traveling with Cobra to reach their destination.

Now that the two were alone, Hancock took sometime to admire his features. He has the nicest color of hair I've ever seen and his clothes are good too. As for what's underneath the clothes...haa...haa...! Her face immediately turned bright red because of her thoughts and she started fantasizing about Cobra. He could hear her thoughts, so the fact that her mind was filled to the brim with himself, was disturbing. Very disturbing.

Finally, they reached the area where most of the Oracion Seis were waiting to ambush Fairy Tail. Hancock, however, knew nothing about this plan. As she stood by Cobra's side, other members began to question about her.

"Oi, Oi, Cobra. No bringing women to missions." Racer teased.

Hancock, however, silenced the entire group by saying, "The enemy has arrived." To their shock, members of Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Cait Shelter, and Lamia Scale were present.

Now, it was Brain's turn to speak to The Empress of Amazon Lily. "How did you sense them?"

"Conqueror's Haki and Observation Haki. 'Haki' meaning will-power." Hancock replied. "With it, I can sense my surroundings and easily dodge any attack. Unless, of course, the attack is too fast for me."

"And your friend?" Brain asked gesturing towards Salome.

"You'll see soon enough."

"Is that Hancock?" Lucy asked with her hands over her mouth in shock. "Did she really join a Dark Guild?"

"If she did, we have no reason to hold back, Lucy." Erza said.

"And neither, do I." Hancock responded.


	4. Chapter 4

Hancock?" Lucy started. "What are you doing with them?"

"Have you forgotten, Lucy? I am a pirate and pirates do evil things naturally. The hero stuff just isn't for me." Hancock replied while rolling her eyes. Then she jumped off the cliff and landed in front of the guild alliance.

"Even if you are Lucy-san's friend, we won't hold back!" Carla said.

Hancock's eyes danced with amusement at this statement. Coming from such an insignificant being, it was hilarious. "Okay, then, show me."

"Requip: Heaven's Wheel!" Erza called out to change her armor. She summoned hundreds of blades and sent them all towards Hancock to impale her. However, Hancock did a back flip to land on Salome's head as he increased his size. Once she was high enough in the air, she placed a finger on her lips and blew air out to create a large, pink heart. Pulling it back like a bow and arrow, she cried, "Slave Arrow!"

All of the pink, heart arrows hit Erza's swords and turned them all to stone as they fell to the ground. Erza immediately thought that she needed to go for close-combat to win this battle since Hancock's Slave Arrow could potentially turn her into stone.

"Requip: Black Wing Armor!" Erza called out as her armor changed once again. She charged for Hancock with her increased offense, but to no avail. Every one of her slashes missed their target. Despite her skilled swordmanship, Hancock dodged every blow which surprised everyone.

"Moon Flash!" Erza yelled as she attempted to cut through her opponent. Hancock evaded the attack all the same.

"Not bad." Erza said as she noticed that Hancock wasn't fatigued at all, similar to herself. "Requip: Flight Armor! If I'm too fast for you, how will you evade my attacks?"

"I won't evade them then." Hancock answered.

"Sonic Claw!" Erza said as she started to attack Hancock from multiple directions with high speed. Erza assumed that the speed of her attacks would too fast for Hancock to dodge, so she began to believe that this match would be a victory for her.

"Perfume Femur!" Hancock said as both of her legs met with each of Erza's swords, turning them into stone. The red-headed woman jumped back in shock, as she realized that long-range and close-range didn't matter. As long as she wasn't careful, she would be turned into stone.

"I've been on the defensive for a while now, so I think it's time I made my counter-attack. Don't you think so, too?" Hancock said condescendingly. She leaped into the air and tried to attack Erza with one of her powerful Haki-imbued kicks. Sensing the power emanating from Hancock, Erza knew that just one kick could easily shatter one of her bones.

"Requip: Adamantine Armor!" Erza said quickly as to avoid being hit. Hancock's kick hit her armor with incredible force, which was reminiscent of the power of The Jupiter Cannon, thanks to her Conqueror's Haki. But even though the impact was cracking her armor a little, it still wasn't enough to shatter it completely. Hancock, being a quick thinker, enhanced her kicks with Busoshoku Haki. That was enough to push Erza back each time a kick landed, however the defensive power of The Adamantine Armor was too much. In response to that, Hancock used a final kick to turn the armor into stone while shattering it.

Erza got pushed back a far distance due to the power of Hancock's Haki. "Attack her all at once! There's no way she can beat us if we combine our power!"

"I'd like to stay and play with you all, but I've got things to do and people to see." Hancock said to anger them.

"Don't you dare run away!" Natsu said angrily since Hancock hurt Erza badly. "Iron Fist of The Fire Dragon!"

Hancock easily dodged that attack, but she wasn't about to fight all of them at once. It was too annoying to deal with, so she opted for a dirty trick. She scanned the battlefield for a target, whilst evading several attacks. Hancock spotted Lucy who wasn't fighting her at all and decided that she would be the captive.

"Mero Mero Mellow!" Hancock cried as the heart beam caused everyone to move out-of-the-way and expose Lucy. Once the beam hit her, she was turned to stone and the allied mages tried to keep Hancock away from her. However, they had forgotten about her snake companion. "Salome!" she commanded.

The snake slithered towards Lucy with incredible speed and wrapped his tail around her stone body.

"Lucy!" Erza, Natsu, and Gray yelled at the same time. Erza requipped into her Dark Wing Armor and flew over to Hancock, placing her sword at her neck. Instead of feeling threatened, Hancock looked rather calm and bored. Her dark blue eyes looked into Erza's brown ones as she said, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

As those words left her mouth, Salome began tossing Lucy up and down while hissing. "I mean, she's quite fragile in that form, don't you think? So, if you want me dead that bad, go right ahead. But your friend, Lucy, will die right along with me."

Erza hesitated for a moment, then she took her blade away from Hancock's neck.

"Come, Salome!" Hancock said as she began walking back to where The Oracion Seis were. As she made her way back, she could almost feel the allied guild's eyes glaring at her retreating figure. Once on the cliff with the rest of the dark guild members, Hancock's persona changed almost instantaneously as she saw Cobra. The leader of Oracion Seis, Brain, was about to commend her for handling all of those wizards with ease, but she strode right past him and went over to Cobra.

"Cobra-kun, did I do alright...?" Hancock asked with a shy voice.

"Yeah, you did great. I'm not really one to praise others, but I'll make an exception in your case." Cobra replied.

He'll make an exception in my case? Hancock thought as her face flushed with color. Is this what they call...a honeymoon?! This is the happiest day of my life! Yes, I can see it now! Our bond is like the red string of fate, no, it is like a great red snake that cannot be stopped by anyone! My life is complete!

Cobra, being able to hear thoughts, wasn't surprised by Hancock's fantasies at this point. Hancock was a mystery to him and he didn't understand why she was so obsessed with him.

Then she collapsed to the ground;overwhelmed by emotion. "Oh, what's this?" a female voice, unknown to Hancock said. "I'm pretty sure that I met a different person on the battlefield. But here you are, lovesick."

Hancock stood up as quickly as she fell to meet this insolent woman. She had short, white hair and angel-type clothes of the same color. "Is there a problem?" Hancock asked menacingly. Her personality, once again, altered at this insolence. Everyone in the Oracion Seis could feel the pressure of her Conqueror's Haki due to her anger.

"There isn't a problem, but-" the girl started.

"Then what is your reason for speaking to me? Learn some respect." Hancock interrupted.

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed.

"Are you deaf?" Hancock said with no emotion in her eyes, except for disdain. "I don't like to repeat myself."

"Hancock." Cobra said to make her stop.

"Yes, Cobra!" Hancock said in a happier tone of voice. Her feelings for him easily surpassed her dislike of this girl.

"We have to go now." Cobra answered. Did he just say, 'We have to go now'? Hancock thought. Is this what they call moving in together? I'm not ready for this! Haa...! Haa...!

"No, Hancock we're not going to live together. I was just saying that we need to continue to search for Nirvana." Cobra said with a sigh.

"Let's get a move on, indeed." Brain ordered. "We have to make it in time."

Just as they were about to begin their search again, World Nobles appeared before them along with Airi. However, she was no longer dressed in traditional Amazon Lily garb and had opted for a revealing version of the standard Marine captain uniform. Her entire demeanor had changed completely;going from meek to confident.

"Thank you, Brain, for stalling her until we arrived. You will be receiving a large amount of money for your efforts." Airi said with a smile. Turning to Hancock, she said, "You, as an escaped slave, will be returned to The World Nobles."

"Airi? What are you talking about?" Hancock asked since she had never disclosed any information about her past to her.

"Cobra told us everything about your slave status." Airi answered. Taking note of Cobra's clenched fists, she added, "But please, bear no grudge against him. He was only following orders from the Brain. When you two met by 'fate' in the forest, he was simply looking for a woman that fitted your description to turn in to us. However, you allowed yourself to be found and battle ensued. You later fell in love with him due to him not caring about your past, yet it was all a farce."

Hancock, shocked, looked at Cobra for him to deny Airi's accusations. He didn't look her in the eye and said nothing to defend himself because he knew it was true. The troubled Amazon Empress grabbed Cobra's shoulders with anger and prepared to strike him, but as her eyes met his, she froze. She let her fist drop from his face and backed away from him.

"I can't..." Hancock whispered softly so that only Cobra could hear. "I can't... hurt you. I should be furious, but I'm not. I'm saddened."

"How sad. He's given you nothing but grief and you still love him? Shows how naive you are. Now come peacefully." Airi stated.

"Tell me about Gloriosa. Where is she? And how did a Marine Captain get on Amazon Lily, let alone join my crew? And my sisters?"

"I'll give you the short version. I killed Gloriosa. I was sent on a mission to apprehend you after your stunt at Enies Lobby. I'll admit that I grew fond of you after staying at Amazon Lily for 2 years to earn everyone's trust along with yours. You all thought I was a poor girl who washed up on your island, it's laughable really. Once I finally joined The Kuja Pirates, I told Gloriosa that I wanted you to become kinder, so she sent me to see Kava. She had the magic crystal ball that can go into different worlds and here we are."

"Why'd you kill Gloriosa? And what about my sisters? And Amazon Lily?" Hancock asked even though she was seething with rage and her Haki pressure was getting dangerous.

"Gloriosa figured out my plan and tried to stop me. I killed her. Wanna see her corpse? Hey, didn't you always hate her, this is a good thing right?" Airi said while holding back laughter. She walked over to a bush and dragged out the old woman's dead body. Airi glanced at Hancock for a response but there was none.

"It seems you're too emotionally damaged to react to anything anymore. I pity you. I doubt your sisters are alive after the assault on your little island and I think it's safe to say that Amazon Lily has seen better days. Anyway, you must come with us. There is nothing for you to return to."

"You'll have to cripple me first. There's no way I'm going back into slavery!" Hancock declared.


	5. Chapter 5

"Eh? You're going to fight me?" Airi asked while staring at Hancock nonchalantly. "Are you forgetting that you'll be up against me and The Oracion Seis? As strong as you are, you can't handle these odds. Give it up."

"The words of a coward, hiding behind numbers..." Hancock mused.

"Enough! Get her!" Airi ordered. Time seemed to still as Hancock assessed her foes. There were six of them and one of her, and all of them intended to capture her. She knew nothing about any of their abilities, so she prepared herself to fight this battle blindly. Much to Hancock's dismay, they all attacked her at once, rather than individually.

All of their attacks were easily blocked, dodged, and parried by Hancock, which displayed her ability to hold her own against many powerful foes. The skirmish left the members of the dark guild bruised and albeit, a little scared of Hancock's strength. Taking note of this, Brain wondered his initial decision to give her up to Airi was a fatal mistake.

"I could turn you all into stone right now, but that wouldn't be any fun. Would it?" Hancock said while smiling at the group. She walked over to Brain and knelt down next to him with such dignity and grace that he was mesmerized and nearly forgot that she was a former slave. Her dark-blue eyes appeared to be void of any emotion as she looked at him and the wind had picked up her hair and blew it so that she resembled a beautiful, fallen angel. Hollow on the inside, and broken.

"I find it hard to believe that you took orders from someone weaker than you. I know Airi didn't give you this task, who did?"

Brain, refusing to show weakness in front of his followers, instead gave Hancock a question, "Why didn't you attack Cobra?"

"Answer me. Or be turned to stone." Hancock deadpanned.

"I don't know." Brain lied.

Hancock tilted her head to the side in confusion before saying, "Why do you lie in the face of death? Tell the truth, and you live."

"I know that either way, you'll kill me. There's no point."

Hancock said nothing and simply frowned at him. No, I wouldn't kill any of you. Cobra would never forgive me. Hancock thought. Wait a minute. Why should I care about what he thinks? He's caused me so much pain already, yet the shattered remains of my heart continue to love him...why? I should hate him!

Hancock stood up and walked away from him, bringing herself to face Airi. She glared at the towheaded woman before noticing that she was on the phone with a certain World Noble. Namely, Shuja.

"You have her captured now?"

"Yes and no. We don't really have Sea-Stone handcuffs on her yet, but she's here. If she knows what's good for her, she won't attack us." Airi answered.

"Good." He said before hanging up.

Airi smiled at Hancock and said, "New plan. You won't be a slave to The World Nobles, instead you'll be a bride for World Noble, Shuja. Isn't that a way better alternative?"

Upon hearing the word 'bride', Hancock's eyes flashed with anger and she clenched her fists. "I'm not marrying anyone. I hate men."

"Oh, but you will. Unless you want your sisters executed?"

"What? I thought they were dead."

"I had to lie. Otherwise, you'd kill me." Airi said with sarcasm. "Would you like to speak to them before the wedding? They won't be invited, of course." Airi held out her hand which had a Den-Den Mushi in it. Suddenly, Hancock heard the familiar voices of her sisters and it nearly brought tears down her face.

"Sister? Is that you? It's me, Sandersonia."

"Sister! We heard about the wedding. Please, don't marry him to save us! I don't want you to suffer at the hands of a World Noble because of us...we'll be fine." Marigold reassured her older sister.

"Never mind that! Are you two okay? Please don't tell me you're in Impel Down. And what happened to Amazon Lily?" Hancock asked, frantic and worried about her sisters.

"Yes, we're in Impel Down and we were tortured severely at the hands of Magellan and Hannyabal. But they gave us special permission to call you. Amazon Lily...is in a bad state right now. The people were mercilessly killed by the Buster Call and those who remain are wandering the island, calling for their missing empress. And what of Gloriosa?" Marigold said.

"Those bastards! Men keep proving me right, they're all disgusting creatures who specialize in destruction and deceit." Hancock continued. "Gloriosa was murdered by a traitor whose Den-Den Mushi is what I'm using. Airi, the strange girl who washed up our island, was actually an undercover spy for the government."

Hancock heard nothing but crying on the other end of the phone and quickly reprimanded her sisters. "Wipe your tears! This isn't the time to mourn! I have made my decision, I will marry this World Noble. And when I do, I will retrieve you two and send you back to Amazon Lily, where you will rule in my absence." Although, she yelled at her sisters for crying, she couldn't even stop her own tears from streaming down her face. "And, I'll break every man's heart in the process!"

Before her sisters could reply, she promptly hung up. Then, she looked at Airi and said, "I'll do it. I'll marry him."

"Good. Meet us back here at midnight. We'll leave to go back to our world then." And with that, Airi departed from the area and beckoned for her soldiers to take Oracion Seis with them, save for Cobra. Hancock and Cobra were left there in awkward silence and tension. She said nothing to him and walked further into the forest to stop by the lake. However, Cobra grabbed her wrist roughly and yanked her close to him. She trembled under his powerful gaze and wondered whether she should slap him or kiss him.

"You're not marrying him." He finally said after what had felt like an eternity.

"Yes I am. Who are you to tell me what to do, you backstabbing bastard?" Hancock hissed. "This doesn't even concern you."

"Heh." Cobra smirked. "You're cute when you're pissed."

"Get away from me." Hancock jerked out of his grasp and stared icily at him. "What's the sudden interest in me? Before, you didn't even give me a second glance."

"Gloriosa." He muttered.

Moments before her death, Gloriosa beckoned for Cobra to listen to her last wish. Her eyes held grief and guilt within them as well as acceptance. She knew that her death was the only way to apologize to Hancock.

"Hancock...oh...my sweet angel..." She moaned. "What have I done? What have I created?"

"Hancock?" Cobra asked.

"Ah, so you've met her. A proud little thing, isn't she?" Gloriosa continued. "Do an old woman a favor and love her daughter. Love her, because you are the only one who can. Melt her ice-covered heart and let her feel joy again."

"Whatever. I couldn't care less about her. Not my problem." Cobra responded.

"You'll fall for her sooner or later. She really is a kind girl deep-down."

"Oh? So that's it? Another plan to trick me again?" Hancock said.

"You really shouldn't marry him, you know."

"Stop acting like you know what it's like! Stop acting like you know what I've went through! You don't know!" Hancock said in hoarse voice, ready to break again. "As a slave, I had to entertain my masters. I was only a kid, yet they treated me like a toy and I had to spend hours building useless monuments to commemorate them! It made me hate men, no, it made me loathe them!" Hancock yelled.

Her tears started to flow down her face again and she whispered, "I don't want to be who I am. I'm a tragedy."

"Don't cry. You'll ruin your beautiful soul." Cobra said while wiping tears from her face.

"My beautiful soul? Don't you mean my face?"

"Heh. I can see beauty past that." Cobra responded. He leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching and he was close enough to try to kiss her. They both closed their eyes and enjoyed this moment. However, he decided against it.

I can be sure now. Gloriosa, no, mother, I love this man. I'll love him with all the shattered pieces of my heart. Hancock thought, fully aware that Cobra could hear her. They both smiled.

Suddenly, Cubellios and Salome slithered between their partners causing Hancock to fall backward and the moment was ruined. Cobra caught her before she fell and pulled her into a warm-embrace. The two snakes teasingly formed a heart shape around the two and hissed in approval.


End file.
